Gravity Gems
by Angelia Dark
Summary: Not a complete story, but bits of ideas that I need to clear out of my head about the Gemverse AU. May or may not form a plot out of all this.
1. Chapter 1

_**Takes place in Gemverse, where everyone is a Gem, they just keep their human names, and they can be born OR made. It's not fully fleshed out, it's just an idea that's been stuck in my head and I need to get it out of the way.**_

* * *

As far as Gemkind went, Dipper and Mabel Pines were oddities. Twins were a rarity in their world, and one or both even more rarely survived. But they did, to the surprise of everyone.

What was less of a surprise was that being twins, their gems were incomplete.

Dipper's gem was on his forehead, normally hidden behind his bangs or a hat. It was an indecipherable shape, like a shard of broken glass. _'Or a shattered gem,'_ he would often think bitterly. It was a light pink in color, which was helpful in blending in, save for when his hat was off and the sun hit it. Then it would sparkle along with the speckling of color around the gem that were commonly known as 'birthmarks'. Mabel loved them and often said they looked like stars. He was just always reminded that it made him more of a 'defect'.

He never said it out loud because calling himself a 'defect' would mean calling his twin a 'defect' too, and that would never do. Mabel's gem shard was much like his, only slightly more discernible in shape, resembling something of an askew **W** , pale blue in color and nestled just under the hollow of her throat. It too had speckling much like freckles around it, and it too shined and sparkled in sunlight, not that many people saw or noticed. Although she claimed to not be ashamed of her partial gem, she always wore sweaters that covered it up. She said it was because she just liked wearing colorful, bright things, but Dipper had a feeling she didn't want him feeling like HE had to show off his gem too.

School was both good and bad for them, more often bad because the other young Gems would tease them for being twins, and 'incomplete defects'. But it was somewhat improved because they gained a reputation quickly for being the first in their grade to summon their weapons.

It was their second week of school, and by that time everyone knew they were twins. Mabel had doubled back to get her pencil case she had forgotten in the classroom, and Dipper was quickly cornered by other students.

It was years later, and he STILL remembered the terror of being surrounded and the hurt of what the other kids were calling him. 'Defect'. 'Incomplete'. That he was never supposed to have been born. The insinuation that he was actually improperly incubated in a Kindergarten. He didn't know which insult hurt more.

One of the students had grabbed his hat and torn it off, exposing his gem shard, and that was when Dipper felt a strong pulse coming from it. A blinding light he could FEEL resonated from his head, and he was suddenly surrounded by a large pink barrier that threw everyone else back.

Within the barrier were speckles of pink lights, much like the ones on his head. Dipper wouldn't notice until much later that they were in the patterns of constellations.

Not two seconds after his barrier sprung up, Mabel came flying out of NOWHERE, her own gem shining a blazing blue through her sweater as, of all things, a grappling hook appeared in her hand. She fired it toward the ceiling, making it hook onto a rafter, and then took out about seven other kids with one swing. The grappling hook was dispelled, and Mabel walked right through Dipper's barrier and hugged him, moments before some teachers came out.

After a long, tiring meeting, their parents gave them the choice of whether or not to remain in the school. Dipper and Mabel said they would think it over.

Things sort of turned around, though. Word of their advancement in Gem powers spread overnight, and they began to make some friends for once.

Mabel, ever the social butterfly, was naturally more popular of the two. Dipper found he didn't mind much. The fiasco in the hall somewhat damaged his trust in other people. He instead focused on his studies and hobbies, making him, academically, top tier in his school. His force field bubble came in handy, since even regular Gems weren't safe when they were nerds, and it definitely kept him from getting his books taken or spitballs stuck in his hat.

There were difficulties, naturally. Even as twins, they were still separate entities, and at one point, Mabel had to stay home sick and Dipper went to school alone. It was there that he found out he was having difficulty summoning his bubble. A book he had been reading was snatched from him and tossed into the mud, and his hat was stolen.

After holing up in the guidance councilor's office for some protection, he was told that Gem Twin Theory done on surviving twins suggested that twins were two halves of a whole Gem, and that Mabel's absence was affecting his ability to use his bubble. Mabel would probably have trouble using her own weapon too.

Another meeting between the school and Dipper and Mabel's parents brought up an unheard-of and somewhat controversial topic—the possibility of Fusion.

Fusion was still a sensitive subject in their world, once considered taboo except for the most dire of situations, like a planetary invasion or the like. But in the case of twins like Dipper and Mabel, it was possible that Fusion could make them a complete Gem.

While their parents looked thoughtful and almost hopeful, Dipper and Mabel exchanged almost terrified looks. They WERE complete people, weren't they? Dipper was Dipper, and Mabel was Mabel; they had different interests and abilities, different ways of thinking, different personalities.

While their parents talked it over later that night, Dipper and Mabel did talking of their own. They didn't want to Fuse. It didn't matter if they just had partial gem shards, they still worked, didn't they? They could still be functional members of society, they just had to work on using their powers apart from each other for a while.

Regardless, they were taken to a specialized training facility that was normally open only to adult Gems with fully-recognized powers, and a Fusion expert taught them the theory and application of Fusion, and that even an unsuccessful Fusion performance would show SOME progress.

They were wrong.

There was no light, no spark, no partial melding of physical forms, nothing.

Weekend after weekend in that place reaped no results, and Dipper and Mabel went home, exhausted, and weary of everyone telling them to 'just try to be one'.

Luckily, their parents appeared to realize that the efforts were exhausting the pair, and at the end of the school year, they told them that they were sending the twins up north to stay with a relative for a while, just to unwind and relax.

The relative turned out to be a sort of black sheep of the Pines family, an older Gem named Stanford, who ran a tacky tourist trap in some backwoods town in the woods. As tedious as the bus ride was up there, Dipper had to admit the atmosphere was nicer than what he was used to in the city, and Mabel barely put her bags down before running after the nearest animal to coddle over it.

Great-Uncle Stanford's 'Mystery Shack' was full of weirdo oddities (most of which Dipper was SURE were fake) that attracted a surprising amount of tourists, but Dipper was sure Great-Uncle Stanford's REAL attraction was the fact that he appeared to have not one, but TWO complete, identical, and fully-intact red gems embedded in the backs of his hands, triangular in shape. He shrugged when Mabel asked about them and said he was probably supposed to be born with it square-shaped, but it was split in two, but he wasn't complaining. It was a good conversation starter.

Personally, Dipper thought the extra finger on his right hand was more of a conversational piece, but he didn't voice that opinion.

Although the trip was supposed to be relaxing, Great-Uncle (or 'Grunkle', as Mabel shortened) Stanford had them helping out in his business. At first indignant, Mabel and Dipper warmed up to it, bonding with their Grunkle, as well as the other two employees, a teenage Gem named Wendy who had a green gem on her wrist that would flash out an axe if she saw a customer try to steal something, or if some boy was getting fresh, and a friendly handyman named Jesus "Soos", who didn't have a weapon so to speak, but instead tools that came from the gem on his abdomen.

Although supposedly a sleepy, boring town, Dipper and Mabel quickly realized there was a LOT more to Gravity Falls than met the eye. From finding an old journal that described all sorts of oddities and mysteries to encountering them face-to-face, they found that there was PLENTY they could do here.

That wasn't to say everything was a good adventure. There was plenty of danger, especially a young Gem who came around by the name of Gideon, who posed himself as a psychic. He seemed interesting, but his obsession with Mabel showed him out to be a grade-A creep. When Dipper tried to get him to back off, Gideon revealed the true power his gem granted him was telekinesis.

Dipper was sure this kid was fifty shades of insane, and was only stopped from getting seriously hurt or worse by managing to summon up his bubble. It only held Gideon off until it dropped from Dipper's exhaustion, and he was sure he'd be SOL if Mabel hadn't shown up and punched Gideon in the gem so hard it cracked, making his powers fizzle out. He left, vowing revenge.

It wasn't an empty threat, come to find. Gideon returned later, with a journal just like Dipper's, and a repaired gem, only it seemed to be much more powerful. He stole Dipper's journal and attempted to abduct Mabel.

Dipper broke free of Gideon's telekinesis and ran up, managing to grab Mabel's hand. In an instant, both their gem halves exploded in a dazzling, sparkling light, and when the light faded, Gideon saw their gems glowing, a large purple shield shifting and sparkling like a clear night sky protecting them for a brief moment until the twins collapsed.

Both were exhausted, and unable to resist when Gideon bound them both in a telekinetic paralysis, saying something about how Yellow Pyramid would be interested in seeing them. Wendy, Soos, and Grunkle Stanford came running up with Stanford in the lead, his left-hand gem glowing as he summoned up a set of spiked brass knuckles on his left hand, punching at Gideon.

Gideon blocked with his telekinesis, and pressed his hand to Stanford's body, letting out an unnatural zap of energy through Stanford's form, causing Stanford's body to disintegrate, leaving behind only his two gems.

Dipper and Mabel's horror was short-lived, being knocked out telekinetically, the last thing they heard was Wendy and Soos screaming and charging forward.


	2. Chapter 2

_**This one is pretty much the only fleshed-out part of this idea I got, so it gets its own chapter.**_

* * *

Blackness was all Mabel was aware of in her numbed mind. She tried to move her body, speak, SOMETHING…but nothing went through. Nothing except a distant sound…

 _"…Hydrogen and Helium, then Lithium, Beryllium…"_

The Periodic Table song? Dipper liked to sing that—

DIPPER!

Mabel jerked awake, looking around wildly. There was no singing now, only the hum of some kind of force field in the doorway of the tiny room she was in. What was she doing in here? Where was Dipper? Where was everyone else?

A sudden memory of a disintegrating body and two gems flashed across her mind.

Grunke Stanford!

Mabel walked up to the force field and hesitantly poked it with her finger. It felt like a mild static shock, but not much else. She stuck her hand in, seeing sparks run up her arm harmlessly. She held her breath and pushed forward, feeling a full-body shock run through her before she stepped out completely, shuddering and patting down her static-poofed hair.

"I'm out! WHOO HOO!" she cheered to herself. "Okay, gotta find everyone!" She took off running down the hall, passing a few other rooms without force fields before skidding to a halt in front of a room that DID have one.

Sitting in the room was a boy that didn't look much older than ten, curled up on the floor with his hands in his hair, letting out frustrated groans.

"…hello?" she said tentatively. "…are you okay?" She jumped when the boy jumped too, pressing himself back against the wall, a look of terror on his face.

Mabel could see he had chestnut brown hair and light brown eyes and a missing front tooth, wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of dirty blue jeans. His panic instead turned to anger, and he slammed his fist against the side of the wall with enough force for Mabel to feel it, jostling her over.

"GREAT!" he shouted. "THIS IS JUST PERFECT!" He growled to himself, clenching his hands into his hair again.

Mabel blinked, confused. "Um…do you need any help?" she asked, peering in closer.

"NO!" he snapped back, then looked both angrier and regretful of snapping. "I mean….DONT LOOK AT ME!" He turned onto his side, covering his head. "Just go away!"

Mabel frowned, sitting back on her heels for a moment before standing and turning to leave.

"Wait!" the boy suddenly called, standing up. "You're out! How th' heck did you get past th' field?"

"Oh, uh…" Mabel reached out to the barrier. "I just kind of…"

"Wait! No no no no wait—" The boy's protests cut off when Mabel's hand slipped into the barrier with only a few static sparks. "…It's okay?" He reached out and touched it, yelping when a surge shocked his hand, biting out swears under his breath, shaking his hand out. "Th' heck's goin' on?"

Mabel shrugged, pausing when she heard something in the distance again.

 _"…With Oxygen so you can breathe…And Fluorine for your pretty teeth…"_

"Someone's singing the Periodic Table Song," she commented. The boy was looking around too, almost desperately.

"Fordy…" he murmured before turning back to Mabel. "LET ME OUTTA HERE!" he cried, startling her. "PLEASE, I GOTTA FIND FORDY!"

"Is he your friend?" Mabel asked. "I'm looking for my friends too—"

"HE'S ALL ALONE, I GOTTA FIND HIM!" His panic was returning to his face, looking ready to risk death to jump through the barrier.

Mabel raised her hands placatingly. "Don't worry, we'll find our friends!" she said, pushing halfway through the barrier and making an arc with her arm. "A-a-and we-we'll do it together-r-r—"

The boy skidded out under her arm, taking off down the hall. Mabel shook off the staticy feeling and ran after him. "Wait for me!" He didn't stop, not taking his eyes off the hall in front of him. "My name's Mabel, by the way, what's yours?"

"Quiet!" he snapped, pausing and looking around, biting his lip. "…This way!" He took off running again. Mabel again followed.

"How many more are trapped here?" she asked, panting to keep up.

"Don't know, don't care!" he replied, his expression grim and concerned, then skidded to a halt when the singing stopped, looking fearful. "….he stopped singing. FORDY!"

* * *

Dipper edged around a corner, peeking out to make sure the coast was clear before heading down that hall. He had woken up in a tiny room with some kind of force field that only gave him a static shock. Really, did Gideon thing something like THAT would keep him back?

As he headed down the hall, he could hear someone singing the Periodic Table Song. It was weird, but then again, nothing about this situation could be considered normal. He was about to round another corner when he heard footsteps approaching, jerking back and pressing himself against the wall as Gideon and his father walked past.

"Now, son, we cant leave yet!" Bud Gleeful was saying, almost pleading. "I thought the whole point of coming here was to get that other journals!"

Gideon stalked to a doorway and kicked it. "STOP SINGIN'!" he shouted petulantly before turning to his father. "Those Pines twins take priority!" he snapped. "Get back to th' lab an' start settin' up!" He huffed and started off down the hall.

Bud sighed and headed off in the opposite direction. "'Join Yellow Pyramid', he says, 'It'll be fun', he says," he muttered to himself before vanishing down the hall.

Dipper waited until the coast was clear before peeking out, just as a voice started singing again. _"Neon to light up the signs, Sodium for salty times—"_

He walked up to the doorway, seeing a boy around ten with brown hair and blue eyes wearing jeans, a kid-sized bomber jacket, and a white tshirt underneath, a pair of large glasses on his face. "Hey," Dipper whispered, getting the kid's attention. The boy stopped singing, looking surprised. "…I like that song," Dipper said, hoping he didn't startle the little kid into a panic.

"…You escaped," he kid replied, sounding more calm and mature than Dipper felt right now. Dipper shrugged, sticking his hand through the barrier. The boy's eyes widened fractionally, but his expression was analytical. "…Of course…"

Dipper stuck his whole arm through, twitching at the static shocks. "C-come on, it-t-t's safe!" he stammered. The boy stepped through.

"Thank you, Dipper," he said, straightening. Dipper smiled, stepping back from the barrier.

"You're welcome!" he replied, then frowned. How did this kid know his name? "How—"

"FORDY!"

At the sound of someone calling, the kid whipped around, eyes wide, then grabbed Dipper's arm. "Come on!" he said, racing down the hall with Dipper not even able to keep up. Dipper flailed, just trying not to trip up, almost barreling over the boy when he skidded to a halt and looked around.

Dipper saw another kid run up, who looked a lot like the boy he was with. The boy let his arm go. "LEE!" he shouted, running up to the other boy and hugging him tightly.

Lee hugged him back, tearing up. "Did they hurt you!?" he said, putting his hand on Fordy's cheek, his eyes flickering over to check for signs of damage.

"No, I'm okay," Fordy replied, covering Lee's hand with his own. "Did they hurt YOU?"

Lee sniffled, tears running down his face. "Who th' heck CARES?" he choked out, grinning widely. Fordy smiled.

"I do." He leaned in and kissed Lee's cheek, making Lee let out a childish giggle of joy, lacing Fordy's six fingers with his own five, his other arm hugging around him tightly. Fordy smiled and leaned his forehead against Lee's.

Mabel rushed up to Dipper, hugging him tightly. "Bro-bro!" she cried, squeezing him until he couldn't breathe. Dipper just hugged her back, looking up when the gems on the boys' hands began glowing, their bodies glowing even brighter as they melded and expanded to adult-sized, the glow fading until they were looking at a joyous Stanford.

"KIDS!" he laughed, scooping them up. "THANK YOU!"

"Grunkle Stanford!?" Dipper yelped at the same time Mable gasped, "YOU'RE A FUSION!?"

Stanford looked mildly sheepish, putting them down. "I'm sorry, kids…we didn't want you meeting us here like this."

Mabel shyly shuffled her feet. "Well…did we make a good first impression?" she asked. Stanford smiled, ruffling their hair.

"Oh kids," he said softly, "we already love you."

Dipper and Mabel beamed, only for their happy reunion to be interrupted by Gideon's voice screaming, "WHERE ARE THEY!?"

"It's Gideon," Stanford scowled, then turned back to the twins. "Kids, find Soos and Wendy, and get out of here!"

"But Grunkle Stanford, we don't know where they are!" Dipper cried, almost panicking. Stanford just smiled, putting his right hand on Dipper's head, and Dipper suddenly felt as though this facility they were in had become bird's eye-view, seeing where they were, and where Soos and Wendy were. "Whoa..."

"Dialectic vision," Stanford said, the expression on his face reminding Dipper of the analytical look that Fordy had given him. "Seeing more than one possibility from the outside. Pretty tricky to get the hang of."

"But wait…" Mabel said, looking concerned, "are you going to be alright on your own?"

Stanford smiled, standing up. "It's okay, Mabel, I'm never alone."

* * *

Mabel hummed to herself as she jotted out a letter home to her parents. Dipper always said she could just IM them on the computer, but really, sometimes a hand-written letter was just better.

"Dear Mom and Dad. Yesterday was just an EXPLOSION of adventure! Me and Dipper were kidnapped by that creep Gideon and held captive! Then we escaped and Gideon Fused with his dad to make himself stronger! But I guess Bud Gleeful was sick of being ordered around, and they were folded out into what was apparently a pocket dimension or something. But the most AMAZING part was finding out Grunkle Stanford is a Fusion! We have two Grunkles for the price of one! And it is AWESOME."

Of course, she didn't put EVERYTHING. Some things were just too personal.

After things settled down and Wendy and Soos were delivered safely home, Dipper immediately started with the questioning. Why were they Fused? They both had perfectly-formed gems, even though they were obviously twins. And why were their unFused selves ten years old?

"It's a long story, kids," Stanford said, sitting back. "Yeah, we were twins…the rarest kind, since we both had whole gems and such. But ever since we were babies, we would Fuse whenever we were close. You can imagine the kind of reactions THAT came about, when Ma would come to feed us, expecting two babies and instead seeing one with two gems.

"Pops would forbid us from Fusing…he wouldn't even let us touch each other for the longest time. He refused to have a Fusion for a kid, you know? It was MUCH more taboo when I was a kid than it is now." He wrung his hands together, the five-fingered left hand being tightly laced with the six-fingered right one.

"…But Fusing for us felt RIGHT. It was US. As different as we were, we just felt more complete when we were one. So we would Fuse in secret, just to feel that completeness." He smiled sadly. "…When we were ten years old, we decided together to Fuse and STAY Fused, no matter what anyone said. Pops tried everything to unFuse us, but we wouldn't have it."

He sighed. "So I ran away to live with my aunt, and grew up like this. I managed a life with Lee's personality and Fordy's intelligence, making myself a living here that made both sides happy."

Dipper hugged his knees, looking thoughtful. "…So…even though you were two whole Gems…you still felt incomplete?" he asked. "…I don't really get it."

Stanford smiled, ruffling Dipper's hair. "I know you don't," he replied. "Because you don't feel that way. Even though you and Mabel have incomplete gems, YOU TWO ARE NOT INCOMPLETE. You're both your own people, and no one can take that away from you. Fusion is a choice, and not one anyone can or should make for you. You can do great things together, but you're both equally amazing apart."

Dipper and Mabel beamed, jumping up to hug their Grunkle tightly. He hugged them back, smiling. "Two niblings or one, you're amazing as you are. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thanks, Grunkle Stanford," Dipper said. Stanford gave each a kiss on the head before sending them off to bed.

Dipper and Mabel changed for bed, lying down and facing each other from across the room.

"It's so weird," Mabel said. "Lee and Fordy were both complete Gems, but they feel more complete together…"

"…And we're incomplete, and we feel complete apart," Dipper added. Mabel made a contemplative sound.

"…I don't think we're incomplete," she replied, pressing her hand to her gem. "I never FELT incomplete. I just think it's nice to have company with you."

Dipper smiled. "Same here," he said. "We're more than just what our gems look like, right?"

"That's what I've been trying to say," Mabel concurred, yawning. "…Night, Dipdop."

"Night, May-May." Dipper clicked the lamp off, lying back to stare at the ceiling in contemplation.

For months, and even years, everyone had been telling them that they would be better and complete if they Fused….and today, a Fusion told them they were perfect the way they are.

He closed his eyes, smiling softly, feeling more complete now than he ever had before.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Bit About Fusion**

* * *

Pacifica Northwest was a member of the elite Gems in Gravity Falls, and she acted like it. She was critical of everything that wasn't fashionable, wealthy, or in good social standing, and that of course included Dipper and Mabel.

There was the biggest instance during a town festival of some sort that everyone got stuck in, and decided to make the best of things by participating in the cheesiness. Mabel bought at least one food item from every stand and was taking mixed bites out of all of it, hopping over puddles left from last night's rain when Pacifica walked up with her entourage and started up with her elitist talk.

Dipper was starting to get resistant to the whole 'defect' slur flung his way, especially when it was such a superficial brat saying it. Mabel, ever the silver lining, was always nice to her as much as she could be, but an accident where Mabel splashed mud on Pacifica's suede boots, and Pacifica just lost it at her.

"I CANT BELIEVE YOU!" she screamed, looking two seconds away from throwing a tantrum like a two-year-old. "YOU STUPID, OVERCOOKED DEFECT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THESE BOOTS COST!?"

Dipper would have rolled his eyes at how bratty she was, but the look of pain on Mabel's face was something he just couldn't let go of. He stalked up, his gem shard glowing on his head. "Hey, Pacifica!" he shouted, thrusting out his hand and knocking her back into the mud pile with his pink shield. "You've got a little something on your pants there."

He didn't even take the time to properly enjoy his one-upsmanship, grabbing Mabel's hand and pulling her away from everyone to Stanford's car, just sitting with her while she tried to keep her tears back. She laid back on the seat and just said she wanted to go home.

Dipper left her in the car and headed back to pick up the souvenirs she dropped, pausing when he saw Pacifica standing next to her parents' limo, pleading with them to let her in.

Her father told her that he couldn't have her muddy clothing ruining the leather seats, and that they would have a car sent over to pick her up, driving off. Pacifica's snobbish façade cracked, and all Dipper saw was just a hurt, abandoned girl.

As much as he had enjoyed his brief stint of revenge, he still felt horrible that her own parents would be so cruel, and suddenly saw that there was a huge price to being a part of the elite. If she didn't have that elite image all the time, she was just another peon in her parents' eyes.

Dipper sighed, grabbing up Mabel's things and walking over to Pacifica, speaking up before she had a chance to. "I'm not gonna apologize for why I did it," he said, scowling. "Mabel's my sister. My TWIN. You wouldn't understand what those things you said means to us. To HER." He let out a whoosh of breath.

"But it's really, really crappy that your parents would leave you here just because you have dirty clothes. That's the ONLY reason I'm sorry for pushing you into the mud. And…since the traffic's clearing up, I can ask Grunkle Stanford if we can take you home."

Pacifica's teary eyes glowered at him, her arms crossed over herself defensively, looking torn between telling him where he could stick it, and considering the offer. Dipper made the decision easier.

"If you come with us, less people will see you all dirty."

Pacifica practically sprinted off in the direction of Stanford's car.

The ride to Northwest Manor was awkward; not just because Dipper was seated between Mabel and Pacifica and could feel the tension reach critical levels, but also because Stanford was (badly) singing along to his 8-track mix tape, not really caring that there were three 12-year-olds in the backseat internally cringing.

He pulled up in front of the large gate. "Here we are," he said, not even turning the music down. Pacifica got out of the car, dug into her purse, and pushed a wad of $20s at him.

"I will pay you to run over that tape," she said seriously, turning to leave. "…thanks." She hurried up to the gate and was promptly let in, not looking back as it closed again.

Stanford counted out the cash and tucked the wad into his pocket. "Nice kid," he said, driving off. "Needs a real attitude adjustment, though."

Mabel hummed assent, looking out the window, tuckered out from the day. Dipper glanced back at the Manor, sighing, thinking that Pacifica could use something better than an attitude adjustment.

* * *

Things were a little weird between Dipper and Pacifica. Not that he wasn't used to weird by this point, but this was definitely out of his element.

He didn't know if it would be classified as a friendship, but sometimes Pacifica would show up near the Shack and she and Dipper would just sit in silence, like they had an unspoken bond forged from Dipper's act of understanding. Sure, she was still pretty snotty when her entourage was around, but Dipper found another side of Pacifica, the one that only showed up when the elite world wasn't watching.

The 'real' Pacifica was quiet, always looking like a lost child when no one was around to tell her what to do or how to act. Unlike the 'social' Pacifica, the 'real' Pacifica liked to just sit outside in nature, sometimes becoming so still a bird would fly down and rest on her shoulder.

It was honestly a little heartbreaking for Dipper to see. It was like she was a doll that was only made to be dressed up and shown off, only to be put away when nobody was playing with her.

The odd arrangement went on for a couple of weeks, and one day Dipper and Pacifica were sitting on a cliff that overlooked all of Gravity Falls and the adjacent Floating Cliffs, the sun close to setting and making everything look calm and serene.

Dipper glanced over at Pacifica, frowning when he saw that her eyes were teared up, her arms around her knees. "…Are you alright?" he asked, breaking their almost sacred silence. Pacifica was still for a few long moments before she wiped her eyes.

"…You're so lucky," she finally said, her lip trembling. "…you and Mabel are…" She didn't say 'defects', but Dipper knew the word was there. "…but people like you. You have people that like you and love you and don't care how you're made."

Dipper chewed his lip. "…Well…Mabel and I were born….we weren't made." He paused when he heard Pacifica let out a soft, choked sob. "…Pacifica, what's wrong?"

Pacifica wiped at her eyes before hugging her knees tighter. "…I was."

Dipper blinked. "…you were what?"

"….I was made." She looked at him, her tears flowing freely down her face. "I was made in a Kindergarten." She shifted her gaze over to the sunset, sniffling. "…Mom couldn't have kids…and you can imagine the scandal. So I was made in a Kindergarten set aside for high society Gems who couldn't procreate." She rested her head on her knees.

"…I'm just a little wind-up doll that they dress up and parade out to show off," she continued. "They make me take a ton of extra classes and extracurricular activities, like it'll make up for the fact that I'm a Kindergarten Gem. But as soon as the doors shut, they ignore me, like I'm a piece of furniture."

She paused, pulling her hair to the side and off her neck, showing off an ovular-shaped gem just under the back of her neck. "…It's not even a diamond like theirs," she said bitterly. "It's just a common quartz crystal. Just another reason for them to resent me."

Dipper sat back thoughtfully, feeling a bit floored with the confession she had just unloaded on him. "…wow," he said quietly. He looked over at her, glancing at her gem. "…you know what?" he said, getting her attention. "…I think it's nicer than a diamond."

Pacifica scoffed, putting her hair down. "Yeah, right," she muttered.

"No, really!" Dipper said, reaching over and hesitating for a moment before pushing her hair aside again. "….I've been reading up on Gem Lore…and quartz has so many properties and uses. I think it literally means you're capable of anything and everything you want." He gave her a smile. "…and in any case, diamonds cant absorb the color of the sunset and make it glow. Your quartz can."

Pacifica's cheeks went pink, the corners of her mouth twitching back into a smile. "…thank you," she said, flattening her hair back against her neck anyway. Dipper leaned back, staring out at the town.

"…At least you know what your gem is," he said. "I don't even know what mine is." He reached up and took off his hat, brushing his bangs to the side to show her his shard of a gem, almost flinching when he heard her gasp. "I know, its…"

"…it's sparkling…" Pacifica said, her eyes shining with interest. "…that's amazing, how does it do that?" She reached out her hand to touch his forehead, pitching forward when she lost her balance.

Dipper yelped, instinctively reaching out and catching her before she fell over his lap, blinking and blushing hard. Pacifica blushed too, then let out a giggle before bursting into laughter. Dipper took note of the silly awkwardness of the situation, laughing along with her until he was almost crying.

Neither noticed the soft glows from their respective gems until the light was almost blinding, feeling a gentle warmth envelop them both before it faded.

In the place of the two of them was a young teenager with mid-length wavy brown hair with pale blonde streaks and hazel-colored eyes. They were wearing a dark pink t-shirt, a leather vest, denim shorts with black leggings underneath, and a pair of boots with a tuft of fur around the top edges.

They shook off the initial leftover tingling warmth, looking over their clothes and at their hands, which were elegant yet slightly calloused, the fingernails short, but well-manicured. They ran their hands over their skin and up to their face, getting a sudden realization.

"Oh…SHI—"

* * *

Stanford was closing up the Shack, about to send Wendy and Soos home when a teenager barreled through the door, almost knocking Soos over, a look of panic on their face. Stanford gave them an annoyed look.

"Look, kid, we're closing up for the night, you'll have to come back tomorrow—"

"GRUNKLE STANFORD—MR. PINES—SOMETHING HAPPENED—FREAKING OUT—!" The teenager started flailing, looking out of sorts in their own body. It was then Stanford noticed the pink shard-shaped gem on their forehead, his eyes widening.

"Dipper, is that you?" Wendy said, rushing up and looking them over front and back. "Whoa, did you FUSE with someone?!"

"Wendy, Soos, OUT!" Stanford barked, grabbing them both up by the backs of the shirts and practically shoving them out the door, locking it behind them and turning the OPEN sign to CLOSED before turning back to the Fusion. "Alright, what the actual heck happened here?!"

"I don't KNOW!" they replied, tugging handfuls of their own hair. "We….we were just there…and it just HAPPENED!" They started to hyperventilate, and Stanford practically dragged them back to the living room and sat them down.

"Calm down, calm down!" he said, resting his hand on their shoulder. "Deep breaths, Dipper…Pacifica….Dipifica, I don't know…"

They snorted through their panic, wiping their eyes. "…Dipifica…" they muttered. "Dipifica would work right now." They managed to steady their breathing before looking up. "…How…did you know it was Pacifica…?"

Stanford rolled his eyes. "Kid, I've noticed her coming here for a while now. I figured it was none of my business, but I'm guessing that if THIS happened, it wasn't secret underground fighting you were getting up to." He gave them a smile. "But it's alright, really."

Dipifica let out a shaky sigh, rubbing their arms. "…This is just too weird," they said, shifting around. "I…I mean, I'm ME, but…am I a ME or a WE?"

Stanford sighed, signaling for them to stay there, leaving and coming back with a can of soda for them, cracking his own open and taking a sip.

"If people would get their heads out of their backsides about Fusion, they'd understand that it's MORE than just a 'me' or 'we'," he said. "You aren't Dipper, and you aren't Pacifica. Not two people, or one person. You're…an experience. And that experience is different for everyone."

Dipifica sipped their own drink, looking thoughtful. "…but where does the experience come from?"

Stanford smiled. "Anything," he said. "It's more than a Fusion of bodies. It's a Fusion of MINDS. Of emotions and needs." He gave them a knowing look. "The two of you were on the same wavelength…and that's something that even the closest of friends are hard-pressed to achieve. What Dipper and Pacifica have is something good, and you are greater than the sum of their parts. You are the embodiment of their relationship. One that I'd say is pretty darn good."

Dipifica blushed hard, chewing their lip. "…..Dad is going to be SO mad…." they said, looking worried, only for the expression to turn almost angry. "It shouldn't MATTER to him. I'm TWICE the Gem he is!"

Stanford blinked. "Uh…"

"I cant go home like this—" "—I AM home!—" "—I cant—" "—we—"

There was a brief flash of light, and Dipper and Mabel were flung back to opposite ends of the couch. Dipper blinked hard, staring up at the ceiling, and Pacifica sat up, looking panicked.

"Mr. Pines, PLEASE don't tell Dad about this!" she pleaded, looking panicked. "He would KILL me if he knew I Fused with someone—!"

"Calm down, it's okay!" Stanford assured placatingly. "I wont say anything, Pacifica, you don't have to worry."

Pacifica sniffled, hugging herself. Dipper sat up, scooting over and patting her shoulder. "…I wont say anything either," he said. "Not even to Mabel. About ANYTHING." Pacifica nodded, giving him a thankful look.

Stanford sighed, looking out the window. "…It's getting late," he said, turning back to Pacifica. "You need a ride home, sweetie?"

Pacifica nodded, rubbing her eyes. "…yeah," she replied.

The ride to Northwest Manor was quiet, and Stanford didn't even turn on the radio. Dipper kept giving Pacifica encouraging looks, and she slowly calmed down. Stanford stopped in front of the gate, and she slipped out of the car.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "Both of you." She shut the car door, heading through the gate, this time looking back and waving.

Stanford drove off back for the Shack, glancing in his rearview mirror at Dipper. "…you alright there, Dipper?" he asked quietly. Dipper was staring at his hands quietly, deftly remembering how different they felt just a couple of hours ago.

"…yeah," he said, looking out the window. "…Grunkle Stanford? ….Don't tell Mabel. Please."

Stanford nodded, knowing that it wasn't just for Pacifica's sake. If Mabel knew Dipper was able to Fuse with Pacifica but not HER….

….well, he didn't want to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Bit About Fusion Cont. _It's pretty long; I wanted it to be in two parts, but was too lazy to open a new window. :I_**

* * *

It was more than just having internal existential crises about their reasons for being that bonded Dipper and Pacifica; it turned out they both had a secret love for BABBA. They discovered this when Pacifica came by during one of her little visits and found Dipper reading through his journal with his earphones on, singing along to 'Disco Girl'.

By the time Dipper realized she was there, he was ready and waiting to say it was Mabel who put the song onto his playlist, but she just took one of his earbuds out and tucked it into her own ear, asking him to replay the song.

At least having an Icelandic pop group to talk about made their bond a little less somber.

Pacifica came over one day, saying that there was a music festival in Salem that had BABBA as a guest group.

"Ugh, I've always wanted to see them live," Dipper said, looking through the festival program. "I heard their shows are awesome."

"Yeah," Pacifica agreed, hugging her knees. "But it says you have to be sixteen, or accompanied by an adult to get in." She sighed. "My parents would never let me go, though."

"No kidding," Dipper said, leaning back against a tree. "And I KNOW Grunkle Stan wouldn't take me." He huffed. "If only I were a little older."

There was a heavy silence between them for a moment before they both looked up at the same time, getting the same idea.

"…could we?" Pacifica asked, looking excited with the prospect of doing something so risky. Dipper jumped up, pacing around as he did when he was thinking.

"I think we could," he replied. "Yeah…" He looked at the program again, getting a look at the date. "Omigosh, yeah, we can! Let's do it!"

"This is so freaking crazy!" Pacifica said, sounding slightly hysterical, but in a great way. "We're really gonna do it?"

"Might as well do one huge crazy thing before we're old enough to be thrown in jail for doing it," Dipper replied, then shook his head. "Wow, that was totally Grunkle Stanford talking there…"

"I'll get the money for the passes, you figure out how to get us there," Pacifica said, beaming.

"You've got it!"

* * *

"I cant believe we're really doing this."

Dipper and Pacifica were standing by a parked car Pacifica paid one of the servants to let her borrow. The solution for getting there was to drive—Dipper knew how, he just needed to be tall enough to reach the pedals without it looking awkward, and old enough to not get stopped by the cops.

"No turning back now," Dipper said, taking a deep breath and letting it out, smiling at Pacifica. "You ready?"

Pacifica nodded. "I'm ready.

Dipper had been over the technicalities of Fusion from all those weekends back at the facility. An older, but tried-true method was dancing. It was emphasized that the individuals' dance must be free-flowing and unrestricted, and above all, completely THEM.

Really now, having witnessed the Fusion of Lee and Fordy, as well as him and Pacifica, it was more about the relationship and less of just BEING, but having something happen to get the juices flowing never hurt.

He took out his mp3 and turned it to his BABBA playlist, putting an earbud in his ear before handing the other to Pacifica, who did the same. He stuck the player into his pocket, and before he started to feel to self-conscious, offered Pacifica his hand.

Pacifica took it, and they started a fun, casual dance to "Pequeño Niño", getting over the awkwardness quickly and just getting into it. Dipper spun Pacifica out and she twirled back in, laughing as the cord to her earbud tangled in her hair. Dipper reached up to untangle it, a soft glow appearing in their gems.

A flash of light later, and Dipifica stood there, an earbud in both ears. They looked over themself, grinning and jumping in place. "YES!" they crowed. "WE DID IT!" They slipped into the car and started it up. "BABBA, here we come!"

* * *

The two-hour drive went without a hitch, and it was Pacifica's casual knowledge of valet parking that had Dipifica easily drop the keys and a $50 into a parking attendant's hand without batting an eye as they headed up to the gate, cash in hand to get in.

Their passes were given, and they made a beeline for the BABBA stage, grabbing some merch at a large booth en route. The set started about forty-five minutes later, and it took about ten more seconds before Dipifica was jumping and screaming, not looking out of place at all with the rest of the crazy crowd.

The first set lasted about six songs before there was a half-hour intermission. Dipifica headed off to the food area for a quick pick-me-up when—

 _ **"DIPPER PINES, YOU GET YOURSELF OVER HERE NOW, BOY!"**_

Dipifica jumped, almost unFusing right then and there, whipping around to see a LIVID Stanford shoving his way through whatever people in the crowd who weren't fast enough to get out of his way.

Stanford's eyes swept the crowd, looking for Dipper, but instead honed in on Dipifica, going from livid to PISSED in .3 seconds flat. He stalked over, glowering with enough anger to set something on fire.

"YOU. TO MY CAR. RIGHT NOW," he bit out with barely-contained rage. Dipifica wisely nodded with a quick 'Yessir' before beelining for the parking lot, seeing that Stanford had driven right past the valet and almost up to the ticket pass. Any security who were looking into the illegally-parked car backed off when they saw Stanford's expression, letting him usher the busted teenager into the backseat before getting in himself and driving off.

As soon as they were out of the crowded area, Stanford spoke up. "You two, unFuse NOW!" he barked. Right on cue, Dipifica split apart to the two sides of the backseat, looks of trepidation and terror on their faces.

Stanford kept his eyes on the road, his grip on the steering wheel so tight it was almost bending. "Where do your parents think you are?" he asked Pacifica, his voice steely.

Pacifica sniffled a little, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "…At a sleepover at Jessica's," she replied. Stanford's jaw tightened.

"Mabel's staying with Grenda, so you'll be sleeping in her bed," he stated. "I will drop you off at home first thing in the morning." Pacifica nodded with a quiet 'yes sir'.

Nothing was said to Dipper, though he was sure he was going to get a chewing out of epic proportions later.

The ride back to Gravity Falls was tension-filled and dead silent. Stanford parked the car and led Dipper and Pacifica inside, making them take a quick detour into the living room. "Sit," he said, and the two children sat down promptly on the couch. Stanford sat down in a chair across from them, his posture still stiff and angry.

"Do you have ANY idea how angry I am?" he demanded, his tone still quiet but in a way that sounded reeled in. "Not only did you lie about where you were going, not only did you NOT tell anyone where you were going in case you were hurt or in over your heads, but you two decided that you would do all this USING FUSION!?"

The raised volume in voice made the two on the couch flinch. Stanford showed no mercy for their fear.

"Using a bond like yours to do something as paltry and underhanded as sneak into a music festival is not only ridiculous, it's insulting! It's reckless! It's WRONG!" His hands flexed into the arms of his chair, the left looking more barely-restrained than the right. "Pacifica, go to bed," he said firmly, turning his attention to Dipper.

Pacifica slipped off the couch, giving Dipper an apologetic look as she trudged upstairs. Dipper swallowed hard, trying to stop himself from shaking or doing something stupid like run away in a panic. Only the knowledge that Fordy was incredibly fast and Stanford could utilize that kept him right where he was.

Stanford scowled at Dipper, his eyes narrowed. "Dipper, I am most disappointed in you," he said stiffly. "To think that you would use Fusion so cheaply infuriates me. You had something truly special there, and you CHEAPENED it."

Dipper felt his eyes well up, hearing actual HURT in his Grunkle's voice, feeling ten times worse than he had. "…I'm sorry…" he replied, a hitch in his voice.

"You should be." Dipper almost flinched at the sharpness of Stanford's tone. Stanford exhaled heavily, waving his hand. "Go to bed," he said, making it clear he didn't want to talk anymore.

Dipper jumped up, hurrying out of the room and upstairs, the tears that were in his eyes escaping down his face in shame. He slipped into his room, seeing that Pacifica was lying back on Mabel's bed on top of the covers, curled up in a little miserable ball. Dipper hastily wiped his eyes with his hand, taking off his hat and crawling into his own bed.

"…I'm sorry," he whispered over to her, not knowing if he was loud enough to hear. There was silence for a few long moments.

"…Me too," came the barely-audible reply.

* * *

Dipper found himself not caring that Stanford had him doing nearly every chore around the Shack. It gave him something to occupy his mind with, considering every time he saw his Grunkle, who hadn't spoken a word to him since last night, his guilt only grew stronger.

It was a deserved guilt, granted. It was so hard remembering that Grunkle Stanford was a Fusion, the living embodiment of two Gems who couldn't bear to be apart. And he had used Fusion just to go to a one-night only music festival.

Unfortunately, Mabel immediately caught onto the tension around everyone, and refused to let it go when Stanford told her that it wasn't her concern why Dipper was being punished. Sure, Dipper kept his fair share of privacy secrets from Mabel, as he was sure she did with him, but he never lied to her.

The day ended, and Stanford still refused to speak on the matter. So naturally, it was Dipper she ended up cornering after he came back from a shower before bed.

"Dipper, I'm your sister," she said seriously, looking really concerned about why Grunkle Stanford was so stoic and not speaking with Dipper. "If I cant understand, who could?"

Fine. No lying. But that didn't mean he wouldn't omit a few truths.

So he told her. He told her about Fusing with 'someone' to appear old enough to go to a BABBA concert at the music festival in Salem. About how Stanford found the program Dipper foolishly left out with the BABBA set circled with 'CANT WAIT' scrawled in (Dipper internally cursing his habit of jotting notes down on EVERYTHING) and tracked them down and dragged them home.

Mabel was naturally upset. Not only had he not told her about it, but he was Fusing with someone behind her back. Unlike other instances of one anothers' firsts—Mabel's first kiss and Dipper's first date to the movies with a girl—there was no late night pillow talk about how the situation went and how it could be better in the future.

Instead, Mabel took her pillow and blanket and said she was going to be sleeping on the couch so she could think it over, heading out and leaving Dipper alone.

Dipper flopped back in bed, staring at the ceiling like it had all the answers to how he could fix all of this. Of course, there was no answer.

* * *

It was day three of the Great Pines Silent Treatment, and everyone was feeling it. Wendy and Soos could sense the agitated state Stanford was in, and strove to work extra efficiently so as not to irritate him further. Wendy took some cleaning off of Dipper's hands, and Soos gave Dipper a pep talk, saying that Stanford would be alright sooner or later.

Sunday morning came and Stanford was up early, packing a few things into his car. Being not the only Pines twin with a secretive streak, Mabel waited until he went around to the back of the Shack before scurrying out to the car and ducking into the backseat, finding that he was packing his fishing gear.

That made sense. Stanford liked to be around water when he wanted to unwind. She stayed extra quiet as Stanford came back around, just as Soos pulled up. From a muffled conversation, she caught enough to figure out that Stanford was asking Soos to watch her and Dipper for a few hours. He then got into the car and drove off.

Mabel remained still and silent the whole trip there, internally preparing to be spotted, only for Stanford to exit the car and leave the fishing gear behind. She waited a few moments before peeking up, seeing that Stanford was on the lake, taking his boat off to the small island off in the lake.

Well, she wasn't going to spend goodness-KNOWS-how-long just sitting in the backseat.

Mabel slipped out of the car and found one of the small rental canoes that was unclaimed, untying it from the dock and slipping in, rowing off to where Stanford took his boat.

Her arms were exhausted by the time she got there, but it was too late to go back NOW. She hopped out of the boat and stretched her arms and back before tugging it up onto the sand, turning to the island.

What was Grunkle Stanford doing here? She walked into the foliage, rubbing her arms, getting the creeps from this place. She looked for a couple of minutes before hearing something off past some trees. She walked up and peeked around one of the larger trees.

Stanford was pacing around, gesturing with his hands, which seemed to want to be doing separate things, arguing out loud with himself.

"—LIED to us!—"

"—wasn't worth all of this punishment!—"

"—the absolute HELL it isn't!—"

"—he's just a kid, ALL kids do stupid things!—"

"—NOT LIKE THIS!—"

"—need to calm down—"

"—I DON'T WANT TO CALM DOWN!—"

"—look, we have to—"

"—IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO ME, THEN YOU CAN JUST FU—"

There was a flash of light, and Stanford vanished, instead leaving two ten-year-olds sitting on the ground. Lee looked about ready to start screaming his head off, and Fordy was looking 110% done with Lee's temper.

"We have to calm down and let it go, Lee," Fordy said, crossing his arms. Lee let out a loud frustrated growl.

"HE USED FUSION AS A STUPID ENTRY PASS, FORDY! DON'T YOU FEEL INSULTED!?" Lee shouted back, incredulous.

Fordy sighed. "You're choosing to take it personally, Lee—"

"IT'S _FUSION_ , FORDY!" Lee screeched, his voice breaking. "WHAT IS MORE PERSONAL TO US THAN _FUSION_!?"

Fordy reached up, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Look, I know you're upset—"

"OH, so it's just ME that's upset!?"

"No!" Fordy scowled at Lee. "Cant you see I'm upset too?"

Lee snorted rudely. "It don't FEEL like it," he snapped.

Fordy stood up, brushing the dirt gingerly off his khakis. "The sooner you forgive Dipper, the sooner we can get past all this," he replied sensibly. Lee snarled, his gem glowing and forming a set of brass knuckles, punching a small tree between words.

"YOU! ARE NOT! AS OKAY WITH THIS! AS YOU THINK! YOU ARE!"

Fordy just watched, unimpressed. "Yes, I am." Lee just snarled louder through his teeth, punching the tree harder. "…You cant stay mad at Dipper forever."

Lee glowered over his shoulder at his twin. "Wanna bet?" Fordy sat back on a boulder.

"Lee, the tree."

Lee yelped, hopping out of the way as the hole he punched into the tree made it tip and crash over. He let out a wordless screech of anger, stalking off into the forest.

"…you can come out, Mabel."

Mabel squeaked, peeking out from behind the tree. Fordy was looking at her, eerily calm. "Um. Hi," she said lamely. "…It's…nice to see you again, Fordy."

Fordy tugged his journal from the bag Stanford brought with him. "Nice to see you too." He opened it, clicking open a pen and began writing, every so often nibbling on the end of the pen.

Mabel had lived with a bookworm long enough to know that when the book was open, it was useless talking. She edged her way off in the direction Lee went in.

It was easy to track him down; he had left a trail of snapped foliage to a small clearing, and was pacing around, mumbling out unintelligible swears under his breath. Mabel stood awkwardly to the side. "Hey, Lee," she said. "…Wanna talk, or—"

"IT'S FUSION, MABEL!" Lee shouted, flailing his arms. "IT'S LIKE FORDY DOESN'T EVEN CARE! And WE'RE supposed to be the grown-up about this!?" He turned in Fordy's direction, raising his voice unnecessarily. "WE'RE _ALWAYS_ THE GROWN-UP! BUT NOT THIS TIME, BUSTER, NOSIREE!"

Mabel chewed her lip, sitting down on a stump. "…c'mon," she said, patting the other end. "Why don't you come and talk about it?"

Lee huffed, clenching his hands tightly. "I don't need to _talk about it_ ," he muttered. Mabel put on the puppy-eyes.

"Aw, come on, Lee," she coaxed. "Just talk and get whatever you want off your chest."

Lee grumbled, sitting himself down, then proceeded to let out a string of language that left Mabel red in the face and resisting the urge to cover her ears. After a few long moments of him barely taking a breath as he swore on, she stood and inched her way for the woods.

"I'm…going to check on Fordy," she said, though Lee didn't stop talking the whole time.

She headed back to the area Fordy was in, almost jumping when she saw there were several small rocks and pinecones levitating around him as he wrote in his journal. She edged around a levitating pinecone. "Hey, Fordy," she said delicately.

"Hello Mabel." He didn't look up from his journal. Mabel noticed another rock near her tremble slightly.

"…Are you doing okay?" she asked, sitting down and hugging her knees. She thought she saw a muscle in his jaw twitch.

"I'm fine."

Awkward silence.

"Okay." She glanced around a little. "What're you writing?"

"Things."

Oh yeah, he and Dipper were definitely related.

Mabel looked around for a little while before growing bored. "Fordy—"

"Even if I do, Lee wont listen."

"What?"

Fordy sighed, lowering his journal. "You're going to say I should talk to Lee. But I'm telling you, it wont help." Mabel nibbled her lip.

"…But he seems really upset!" she said. Fordy shrugged.

"Doesn't matter," he replied frankly. "We cant stay mad at Dipper forever, and he cant be ticked off at ME forever, and then he'll calm down and see that I'm right."

That SOUNDED convincing to Mabel, but it didn't FEEL convincing. "…are you sure?"

"It's just as his mindset always works," Fordy stated, opening his journal again. "He never fails to come around once he realizes what a baby he's being. He just needs to get a grip and not let his emotions control him."

Seemed a bit presumptuous to her, if she were behind honest. "…but you ARENT?" she asked? This time she DEFINITELY saw his jaw twitch.

"No." One of the levitating pinecones thwacked itself into a tree.

Mabel sighed, standing and walking off to Lee's direction, peeking into the clearing and seeing that he was still ranting on to himself. Well this was just perfect.

There was only so much to do by herself, checking between the two boys before she noticed the sun heading more westward. She managed to convince both of them that Stanford promised he'd be back in a few hours, and headed off for the shore with the two of them pointedly ignoring each other.

Wondering how they were going to be driving home when neither to reach the pedals, she came across the shore, groaning when she saw that the canoe she brought had drifted off. "Oh man," she groaned, trying not to lose her cool. She pushed the boat into the water before hopping in with the boys, helping Lee row on.

"Don't suppose you could use some of the brainiac power to help us along," Lee groused at Fordy, who gave him a withering look.

Mabel's arms were still aching from taking the canoe to the island, sighing. "Grunkle Stanford could handle this easily…" she said.

"Yeah, well Stanford's not here!" Lee snapped, putting more force than necessary into his rowing, shifting the boat a little further off than it should.

"You're rowing too hard," Fordy stated. Lee jerked on his oar, almost snarling.

"I'm kinda surprised you could feel it, ya robot!" he shot back.

"I didn't NEED to feel," Fordy replied calmly. "I can SEE it."

Mabel eeped when Lee jerked over, jostling the boat. "WELL AINT EVERYTHIN' SO CRYSTAL FRICKIN' CLEAR TO YA!?

Fordy calmly held onto the side of the boat, looking at Mabel. "This'll ease out," he told her. "He'll burn himself out eventually—"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK!" Lee shouted, his brass knuckles reforming on his left hand. "I'm AN ETERNAL FLAME, BUDDY!" He punched the side of the boat, making it tip dangerously.

Fordy more or less expected this and held on tight. Mabel, on the other hand flailed as the boat tipped, falling into the lake.

Mabel yelped in shock of the cold water, nearly swallowing a mouthful. She flailed around until a strong hand gripped her wrists, coming out of the water to see Lee and Fordy both clinging to her arms and tugging her back into the boat. She spat out some water, sitting heavily in the boat, her long hair and sweater soaked through and feeling as heavy as her heart.

Fordy and Lee fussed over her for a moment until she curled up, pulling her sweater over her face and vanishing into Sweater Town. Without a word, Lee and Fordy took up the oars and rowed back to the shore in silence.

The moment Mabel felt the boat hit land, she jerked her sweater down and hopped off the boat, landing shin-deep in the water and not caring a bit as she stalked away from the boat. Lee and Fordy jumped after her.

"Mabel—"

Mabel jerked around so fast her hair almost snapped like a wet towel. "YOU'RE ALL BEING STUPID!" she shouted, her cheeks red with anger. "HOME IS AWFUL! HERE IS AWFUL! EVERYTHING'S SO AWFUL!" Tears spilled down her face, mixing in with the lake water.

"No, no, no, Mabel, don't cry!" Lee fretted. "Don't, please! It's just us being dumb!"

"…But we dragged her into this," Fordy said, the calm in his voice wavering. "We dragged everyone into this by letting this go on as long as it should…" He sniffled slightly. "I know in the end we'll all get over it, but I keep forgetting how much it hurts to be right in the middle of it all…!" Tears welled up in his eyes. "I keep seeing things go from A to Z, but…I keep forgetting that everyone else doesn't think like me…! No w-wonder you think I don't care…!" Tears spilled down his cheeks.

"Fordy…! No, no, this is all MY fault!" Lee cried, holding Fordy's shoulders tightly. "I'm the one who wanted to stay mad an' not talk things out with Dipper! YOU were right! You're ALWAYS right, I'm just bein' stupid like always—"

"YOU'RE _NOT_ STUPID!" Fordy snapped, sniffling. Lee squeezed Fordy's shoulders.

"…I'm sorry," he said, pushing Fordy's glasses up and wiping away Fordy's tears.

Fordy sniffled, softer this time. "…you really think I'm not upset about all this?" he said quietly. "…that I'm just a robot? I…I was just trying to forgive and forget…"

"I know," Lee replied, resting his hand on Fordy's cheek. Fordy sighed tiredly, looking lost. Lee smiled a little. "…ya know what's kinda cool about bein' split up?" he asked. Fordy looked up, brow furrowed in confusion.

"What?"

Lee smiled. "I get to see how dumb we both look."

Fordy burst into laughter, punching Lee's shoulder. "You knucklehead, be serious!" he giggled. Lee hugged Fordy to him, grinning.

"There's my Sixer!" he said, putting Fordy into a loose headlock and giving him a noogie. Fordy flailed, laughing.

"Aw, c'mon, Lee, not in front of Mabel—"

"Nuh-uh, bro, you're goin' DOWN!" Lee wrestled Fordy to the ground, pinning him back. "Say uncle!"

"Never!" Fordy laughed, his own gem glowing, his fingers wiggling slightly. Lee burst into laughter, letting go to hug his sides.

"No psychics! Cheater!"

"No such thing in war!"

Mabel sat by the car, unable to help herself from giggling at the antics of Lee and Fordy. Yes, this was MUCH nicer than all the arguing. She sighed, pushing her hair out of her face as the two boys settled down and clasped their hands together, Fordy's six fingers encasing around Lee's five, their gems glowing softly, a flash of light bringing Stanford back.

Stanford walked over to Mabel, kneeling down. "…ready to go home, sweetie?" he asked. Mabel nodded, then hugged her Grunkle tightly. He hugged her back, not bothered by her wet clothes as he got her settled in the passenger seat before driving back to the Shack.

* * *

Mabel walked into the Shack, seeing Dipper sitting at the table with Soos and Wendy with some sodas. Dipper stopped talking as soon as she walked in. "Mabel? Where've you been?" he asked, then clammed up when Stanford walked in. "…Grunkle Stanford, I'm—"

Stanford raised his hand and Dipper fell silent. "You're going to the arcade tomorrow," he said, putting out his wallet and putting down a $10 bill before walking out.

Dipper let out the whoosh of breath he'd been holding in. "At least he's talking to me again," he said, then glanced at the bill. "…is he giving me permission to go out and have fun?"

"Sounded like it to me," Wendy said, finishing her soda. "Cash from Stanford is as good as an 'I Love You'."

Dipper smiled a little, picking up the bill and pocketing it. "…yeah," he said. "I guess it is."

Mabel smiled a little, heading upstairs to shower off the lake water and get into some dry clothes. It wasn't a bunch of talking it out, but it certainly was a start.


	5. Chapter 5

**A Bit About Yellow Pyramid**

Although it was implied he was forgiven for the Fusion incident, Dipper couldn't help but feel like something had changed in the relationship between him and the rest of his family. Grunkle Stanford SEEMED the same, but Dipper just felt…OFF. Like there was an inch more space between them, a moment's more hesitation in speaking. He really wished it was just his imagination, but it was just ALWAYS there.

Even Mabel seemed different. It was almost like she was walking on eggshells around him, even keeping something of a secret from him.

The whole thing was just so low-key and delicate, it was driving Dipper crazy. He wanted things to go back to normal, but he didn't know HOW.

A week of this mess was definitely messing with his sleep. Even his dreams were getting weird. Nothing but a black-and-white void and an empty feeling of abandonment and loneliness that was occasionally interrupted by the feeling of being WATCHED.

Suffice to say, Dipper got very little of the sleep he actually NEEDED.

To cope with his lack of sleep, he took to secretly working through the mysteries of the journal, especially a few odd pages that looked scribbled through, blacked out, or written on in invisible ink. One in particular captured most of his interest; it was mostly blacked out, but after managing to lift some of the black-out ink and looking at it under black light, he found odd inscriptions.

 _ **NOT REAL**_

 _ **CANT BE TRUSTED**_

 _ **ALWAYS WATCHING**_

Rather than being spooked, Dipper was intrigued. He managed to lift a good portion of blacked-out part that looked much like a spell of some sort. He managed out best he could in his extremely limited Latin:

 _"Triangulum, entangulum. Meteforis dominus ventium. Meteforis venetisarium."_

Nothing happened.

Not surprising, really. He didn't expect much from it. For all he knew, it was just random mumbo-jumbo. He closed the journal for the night and tucked himself into bed, zonking out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Dipper's eyes opened what seemed like seconds later, groaning when he saw how dark it still was. It must be going to rain today. He sat up, yawning. "Morning, Mabel," he murmured, rubbing his eyes.

No response.

He turned to Mabel's side of the room, frowning when he saw her bed was empty. What was more, the room looked…washed out. Like it was…

…Like his dreams.

Oh great, did he suddenly learn how to lucid dream out of nowhere? If THAT was what the spell was, then good for him, why was it blanked out? He slipped out of bed, testing out his mobility. It all seemed so real…

That sudden 'being watched' feeling surged up, and he looked around wildly, his hair standing on end. "…Who's there?" he demanded, trying not to sound as scared as he was.

Unlike last time, he got an answer.

Laughter.

Dipper saw movement on the floor, the illumination of the triangular window of the attic room shimmer slightly before becoming more defined and gaining a golden color before lifting from the floor and hovering in the air. A moment later, Dipper found himself staring at an enormous triangular gem that looked like a yellow diamond.

He was about to start pondering over the weirdness of his dreams somehow being attributed to the soda he sometimes drank before bed when things got weirder. A large, single eye opened in the middle of the gem, sans an iris and the pupil almost slitted. The disturbing sight made him backtrack until he fell back over his bed, staring at the THING in horror.

"Yeesh, kid, don't have a heart attack," the gem said, sudden sprouting spindly black arms and legs and, oddly enough, a top hat and a small bowtie. "You'd think you'd never seen a Gem before in your life."

Dipper's mouth moved without speaking, somehow trying to find the words to convey the absolute madness he was seeing. "Wha…h…how….WHAT are…?" The eye rolled in dramatic exaggeration.

"GEM, kiddo. G-E-M. I'm a GEM. Well, a Gem in its purest form, anyway." The Gem hovered mid-air, somehow able to convey amusement with just an eye and tone of voice.

Dipper's eyes narrowed. "'Purest form'?" he repeated, sitting up. "What's that even mean?" He jumped when the Gem glided over next to him, slinging a spindly arm around his shoulders.

"Exactly what I said," the Gem replied. "Purest form. Gems aren't truly those gormless, ungainly forms the majority of you take." He poked at Dipper's arm as an example. Always so easily damaged and an absolute NIGHTMARE to take care of." The word 'nightmare' being accentuated by a darker, more vibrant tone that Dipper swore he could feel in his bones. "Why, all that energy you use in maintaining that thing could be used into making your TRUE form INDESTRUCTIBLE. ETERNAL."

Dipper frowned, looking at his hands, feeling the awkwardness in his body that came with the onset of teenage puberty, and suddenly felt WRONG. "…But…HOW?" he asked, clenching his hands. "I mean…" He reached up, touching the partial gem on his forehead. "…I cant exist like THIS…can I?"

"Eh, it's a work in progress," the Gem said, floating up in the air again. "Not all Gems can look as flawless as me, you know. But you fleshbags never know what your TRUE selves hold when you're stuck maintaining…THAT." He gestured over Dipper's body. "When you let go of your illusions, all the infinite power you're truly capable of can come forth! Who KNOWS what you and your other half is capable of!"

"Other half? Wait, Mabel?" Dipper scowled. "We're not HALVES. We're two WHOLE people!"

The Gem laughed. "Sure kid, keep telling yourself that," he said. "You can stay that in that mediocre, shameless form you call a body and summon nothing but a half-formed shield as your only ability for whatever time you have left on this planet, all your energy wasted maintaining a form that'll only rot and die and take your gem with it…" The Gem waved his hand, creating a dazzling miniature galaxy in his palm out of nothing.

"…Or you can harness your TRUE power by channeling the infinite energy of the universe without that mound of flesh acting as a buffer. Your choice, kiddo." He waved his hand, dispelling the galaxy, his body glowing.

"Remember! Your reality is an illusion, your body is a hologram, buy gold! I'll be watching you!"

There was a flash of light, and Dipper bolted up in bed with a gasp, shaking. There was color in the room. Mabel was snoring in her bed. There were birds chirping outside.

He was awake.

Dipper, rubbed his face, groaning. That was THE last time he drank cola without checking the expiration date. He made a move to get out of bed, almost jumping right back in when he saw the illumination of the sun sifting in through the window in the shape of a triangle.

….weird.

Too weird.


End file.
